159. Rest and Good Food.
I have been one of those fortunate individuals who, during pregnancy, have very good health. My greatest suffering was caused by varicose veins, which, of course, are very painful at such times.
I was blessed with a good mother, who gave me good advice on the necessity of taking care of myself during this period, and having also the best of attention at confinement, and plenty of rest and good food, neither of these being lacking. I can only imagine a woman’s feelings under different conditions.
My confinements (five) were, however, hard, bad times, brought about by some obstruction. This I have always put down to the fact that at the age of thirteen I began to learn dressmaking, which entailed sitting long hours at a stretch, at a time when the bones were in rather a soft state. A midwife whom I had engaged as nurse during my last confinement quite agreed that this was most likely. I could not say whether this is common among dressmakers or not.
After confinement always seemed to me to be one’s weak time, and especially with nursing mothers with fine, healthy babies. I nursed four, the last being still-born, and always found that about three months after their birth my strength failed, and doctor’s advice had to be sought, when with tonics he managed to bring me right.
You see my experience will not be of much use to you, but this is exactly how I have felt during these times; in fact, during pregnancy it was much harder for me to be still than to work hard physical work.
Wages just under £2; four children, one still-born.